...vvvVVV ** VCORE Tour 89 Club ** VVVvvv...

Just had to start a separate thread about this remarkable frame. I grew up using Yonex frames (notably the R-22) and found this frame to be a modern incarnation of it. Less flexible, with slightly more power, equal control, and more stability.

Problem that I've found is that the power level is actually LOWER than the old R-22, if you can believe it. I've had to dramatically reduce my string tension just to get a reasonable amount of juice out of this frame. Not that it's sensitive to strings... it really plays well with a variety of strings... but if you're looking to get some acceptable power out of this frame you really need to string low or use multifilament strings.

Right now, I'm using Polystar Energy at 30 lb. Comfort is off the charts, power is high, but controllable. Control is decent, but takes some attention. Serving is outrageous -- this thing serves bombs and my first serve percentage has NEVER been higher.

If you string in the "normal" range, anywhere from 40-60 lb., the control from this frame is absurdly high. The problem that I initially suffered with was that I had to change my strokes to generate power. Then, my control went way off because my technique went down the drain in an attempt to overswing. The solution was to drop the tension and find a powerful, spinny string to help out. Now, I'm swinging normally and generating good pace with decent spin and good control. Life is good.

Anyway, I'm still getting used to this frame, but it certainly seems as if there are no limits to what it can do. The results produced from this frame are truly in the user's hands.

Bottom 2 are strung with Lux Alu power 16L @ 52/50. Still feel that it has noticeably less pop compared to the tour bite 17 @ 55/53 that it replaced. Hope it's just breaking in. Could it be the string gauge?

The new arrivals have polytour spin on, 1 full bed @48/46 and one hybrid with ogsm @ 50/50. Eager to see how they hit. The blue wasn't that bad actually, I was afraid it would clash with the pj. My first hybrid experience too. Crossing my fingers

Bottom 2 are strung with Lux Alu power 16L @ 52/50. Still feel that it has noticeably less pop compared to the tour bite 17 @ 55/53 that it replaced. Hope it's just breaking in. Could it be the string gauge?

The new arrivals have polytour spin on, 1 full bed @48/46 and one hybrid with ogsm @ 50/50. Eager to see how they hit. The blue wasn't that bad actually, I was afraid it would clash with the pj. My first hybrid experience too. Crossing my fingers

Click to expand...

I had the same experience with TB and Alu at pretty much the same tension as you, although I string one piece which I find gives a more uniform stringbed after an initial few hits.

As for the blue spin, I think its an excellent string but I started low 50's in tension and went down to 44 where I felt most happy, it was good to go from the off. Not tried it in a hybrid tho.

You should try the yellow tour string, more pop than the spin, better fuller feel, very nice string, lots of grip for a string that is not shaped.

Personally I love the racket, looks beautiful and plays beautiful. I just found I struggled on some cute shots, where it didnt come thro the air the same as a thinner stick. If you like your sticks heavy, then Yonex do have a little extra material so you need to be strong, I like mine heavy but Im less Wawrinka and more Korda, hence my return to Volkl

Meags, did you spend time trying to dial in the alu power? I feel it has to be like 10 pounds lower to approximate the pop from tour bite. It's fine around the net, but I find myself working harder to provide power on the groundies.

I just returned the TW demo and it was freshly strung with gosen OG micro 16g. It had to have been at 60 lbs when I first got it...that combination of tension, string, and gauge really made for one heckuva wooden plank to hit with. Once the string loosened up it was pretty nice..I think a 16g string just makes the string bed too dense in this frame...I thought maybe a 17g multi would be pretty good for adding a little power. I am a big poly fan but I am not all to familair with the thinner guage polys that retain tenstion and stay playable for extended periods of time- probably are none lol.

Meags, did you spend time trying to dial in the alu power? I feel it has to be like 10 pounds lower to approximate the pop from tour bite. It's fine around the net, but I find myself working harder to provide power on the groundies.

Click to expand...

I agree thats what I did, I gave up on it, I remember loving it in my custom Vantages and Rad TT's a few years ago but recently it seemed like a completely different string. I thought has someone put silverstring in this Lux packet and duped me!! Id gotten used to TB and although Alu is a decent string its not TB in my eyes.....

I agree that the 16x20 pattern in this frame seems very tight, probably even more than an 18x20 in a MP sized frame. With syn gut at 60 lb., that makes for a rough time on the arm. I've used syn gut in the mid-40's in this frame and it felt pretty good.

I really wonder why people are so afraid of going with low tensions. The power level doesn't really even increase all that much, to be honest. And this frame has so much control with low power to begin with, it really needs some added pop from a lively stringbed.

I agree that the 16x20 pattern in this frame seems very tight, probably even more than an 18x20 in a MP sized frame. With syn gut at 60 lb., that makes for a rough time on the arm. I've used syn gut in the mid-40's in this frame and it felt pretty good.

I really wonder why people are so afraid of going with low tensions. The power level doesn't really even increase all that much, to be honest. And this frame has so much control with low power to begin with, it really needs some added pop from a lively stringbed.

Click to expand...

I tried 32lbs on this racket, and the ball just doesn't come off the same as 51 or 53lbs. (Full Poly Golden Set Snake Bite Gauge 16 and Golden Set Hex Poly)

I can understand why someone would want to use a higher tension on this racket.

going down to the mid 50s is a major change for me...I am used to the low 60s on about everything. It all comes down to what you are used to. When I used to play with Wilson 90s, it always seemed like there was a sweet spot for tension where once it went too low you were just launching the ball...too high and it seemed like the ball would just pancake off the string bed without bite. I picked up some Vcore 89s... I am hoping they are not as temeperamental with strings.

The Lux Alu Power 16L (52/50) seems to have settled in and has more pop than the first time I hit it. Still nothing like the Tour Bite 17 in both spin and power for me. And my elbow felt the stiffness. I think I may like it at 10 lbs lower, or in a hybrid.

The Yonex Polytour Spin (48/46) made a really good impression! Nice pop, good spin! Easy on the elbow.

The polytour spin/Og sheep micro (50/50) was my first hybrid. It was the easiest on my elbow, had excellent power and good spin. Was very close to the full bed polytour spin. There was some string movement though- is that normal for a hybrid?

It's pretty hard looking for the right string. All the switching around messes up your game. I'm going with that excuse for playing horribly today. Sprayed balls everywhere. Ugh.

The Lux Alu Power 16L (52/50) seems to have settled in and has more pop than the first time I hit it. Still nothing like the Tour Bite 17 in both spin and power for me. And my elbow felt the stiffness. I think I may like it at 10 lbs lower, or in a hybrid.

The Yonex Polytour Spin (48/46) made a really good impression! Nice pop, good spin! Easy on the elbow.

The polytour spin/Og sheep micro (50/50) was my first hybrid. It was the easiest on my elbow, had excellent power and good spin. Was very close to the full bed polytour spin. There was some string movement though- is that normal for a hybrid?

It's pretty hard looking for the right string. All the switching around messes up your game. I'm going with that excuse for playing horribly today. Sprayed balls everywhere. Ugh.

Click to expand...

I used PolyTour Spin at 50, full bed, one piece stringing. OMG, it was too much pop for me. But in a Yonex EZONE Xi 98, the string (two pieces) at 45 is peeerrrrfect. To each his own!

Maybe I'll try Polytour one of these days. But I have a bunch of PS Energy to make my way through first!
I strung up my racquet yesterday with PS Energy, but found that I didn't have enough for the crosses, so I decided to hybrid it with Prince Syn gut with Duraflex. Even after just bouncing a ball off the stringbed a few times, I could immediately tell that it wasn't even HALF as good as a full bed of PS Energy. It was much more crisp, had about the same power, but the control wasn't anywhere near good enough. Also, the feel and touch was completely gone. So I cut them out today and restrung with a full set (got my reel in the mail today) of PS Energy. What a night and day difference! The feel is back, the control and comfort is much, much better.

So I just wanted to convey my experience with a hybrid in this frame. For those of you who have only tried PS Energy in a hybrid, you're really missing the boat. A full bed is the only way to go.

Played another great match today with the Tour 89. This is probably the best serving frame I've ever used and the stability is off the charts, despite the relatively light weight (I've always played with 350+ gram frames). My opponent was crushing serves and I never felt like the racquet was the weak link.

I'm glad I finally got back to Yonex after several years of using Wilson/Donnay/Vantage frames. I had always used the R-22 and RQ-120 when I was younger and enjoyed the large sweet spot, awesome slices, and stable feel of the Yonex frames. The Tour 89 is no different, but it's definitely a departure from the previous few lines (RDX, RDS, etc.) that weren't quite cut from the same cloth as the frames from the 80s. The Tour 89 has that classic feel with the modern stability, power, and feel.

I'm actually a bit surprised. Maybe the "89" on the frame is scaring people away. They should have called it the "98" and people would have swarmed to it. You can't even tell that the head size is smaller, to be honest. It plays beautifully and the sweet spot is much larger than most 95+ sq. in. frames I've used.

I'm actually a bit surprised. Maybe the "89" on the frame is scaring people away.

Click to expand...

I have been going back and forth between Volkl's PB 10mp (325) and the VCore 89 for the past month.
I have a history of falling in love with mid sized racquets but eventually playing matches with a mid plus.
The VCore may be different. It adds directional control, spin and feel, giving up some power. Right now I am moving around the court well and so I can get in position to create my own power.I'm also able to create more angles with this stick.
But at my age there are no guarantees how long I'll maintain that fitness level for.
Going to enjoy the ride while it last.

I'm actually a bit surprised. Maybe the "89" on the frame is scaring people away. They should have called it the "98" and people would have swarmed to it. You can't even tell that the head size is smaller, to be honest. It plays beautifully and the sweet spot is much larger than most 95+ sq. in. frames I've used.

Click to expand...

Well there were two long posts which were exceptionally high in their praise as the new frames came out. Now people are moving to their next new thing. I've seen some vcores 89 on sale (from people who were raving about them). Others seemed to have settled back to the vcore95d or easier frame.

I've been a long time yon ex guy but I'm thinking of trying a new direction... But I will test out this frame and the ezone xi 98.

Ok Dunlop Black Widow 17 has restored the feel I had with Tour Bite. If ever, it's just slightly underpowered compared to TB, but easier on the arm. Spin generation was really nice, and I was serving better than I have in the past few weeks. I need to do a straight up comparison vs TB, but I'm pretty satisfied.

RIP Control 17 wasn't bad, but had even less power than Black Widow, and was even more comfy for the arm. I just found myself exerting more effort on it. It might be better in a hybrid, for me at least.

I've been using the 89 the past 2-3 months now and it's definitely a solid stick. Coming from the POG Mid (which I've used solely for the past 10+ years) the 89 is definitely a change in the positive direction. For me it does everything well, better stability without the raw feel of the POG.

Currently I've been stringing the 89 with Solinco Outlast 16L at 52lbs (same string as in my POG but now strung lower with the Yonex) and it works well for me.

Being a long time wilson 90 user I think the yonex is alot easier to play with than the black red BLX version. I think I hit a better serve with the k90, but the string bed is just so forgiving, you rarely shank and miss hit. I have played about 12 hours or so with mine and really enjoy it. Overall it has a little more power on tap than the wilsons, but has the same degree if not better directional control. Volleying is about the same maybe a slight nod the k90 but note the blx and the ncode, they were sort of meh in my book. I would definitely give it a demo.

So how does this compare vs the PS90s, in terms of overall demand? I love the 90, but the demand leaves me falling short vs. many players.

Interestingly, in Atlanta, it's hard to get a demo of the 89; but the 97 is available.

Thanks for the replies.

Click to expand...

I used to play with the K90 and I loved it. The only issue was that it hurt my wrist after a year or so. I was devastated. I switched to a flexible frame (Donnay) but my game suffered). Finally, Yonex came out with a *REAL* frame that had some potential, even if it was a bit lighter than I would have preferred.

The Yonex Tour 89 is easier to maneuver (lighter weight but same swingweight as the K90), has a larger sweetspot, and swings a little easier overall. Power level for the 89 is lower than the K90, but directional control is better. Serves are MUCH better with the Yonex. Returns are about the same.

I trust my slice backhand more with the Yonex, but both frames are good. For some reason I can hit forehands MUCH better with the K90, but that may be able to be fixed by some practice and playing time with the Yonex, I don't know yet.

Anyway, I'd say overall the Yonex is superior to the K90 in my hands, as the serves, serve returns, slice, control, and especially volleys with the Yonex are better. I'm not saying it's better for everyone, but it's certainly worth a try if you are a fan of the Wilson 90-sized frames.

I use a 1HBH. I think I could rip the ball a bit harder with the K90, but the Yonex 89 is no slouch. I didn't have to make any real adjustments to my backhand with the Yonex. Very stable and solid. Returns are crisp and accurate.

Guys, as much as it pains me (both literally and figuratively), I'm "this" close to giving up my IG Prestige Mids. They're the best hitting, most playable Prestige Mids I've ever used, but I've never had TE til switching from my MGP Mids to these. So at any rate, frames I'm eyeing are:
BLX Pro Staff Tour 90
Biomimetic 100
(and keeping fingers crossed for a re-release of the PC600)...

The positive reviews on the VC89 have me warming to the idea of trying Yonex again. If any of you guys have used the Prestiges or the Dunlop 100's, how does the VC89 compare?

I'm also very interested in demoing the Bio 100 the 16 by 19 is appealing to me!

I use 1 hand backhand and its great the v89, overall great racket, I just like to demo new racket always so I have my eys on the bio 100 looks like its the same specs as the 89 tour but I need more input, anyone?

I'm also very interested in demoing the Bio 100 the 16 by 19 is appealing to me!

I use 1 hand backhand and its great the v89, overall great racket, I just like to demo new racket always so I have my eys on the bio 100 looks like its the same specs as the 89 tour but I need more input, anyone?

Have you used any of the other Yonexes (past or present)? Any other mids? How do they compare to your current Bio100 and what is your setup (stock or modded)?

Click to expand...

Because this is a thread for Yonex VCT 89 I suggest you read my brief review about Bio100 here.

About the setup, I've changed my Bio100's grip to Gamma leather and add an overgrip, no lead tape; now it weights about 340+ gr strung (I forgot the exact number). According to TW specs it's quite similar to VCT89, and perhaps it also brings Bio100's SW close to VCT89; not sure though.

From the data gathered by TW, the main different between Bio100 and VCT89 is their power level. VCT89 is more powerful on every part of the racquet, especially at its outer part. From there I think VCT89 is a much more forgiving racquet than Bio100.

i often read on this thread or others reviews that this 89vcore play more like a 95 , so i ask you if i can try it because i use a tecnifibre 295 (95) and would like to know if this change will not shock me in term of playability and forgiveness . I assume that will be a big change in term of weight but what about playability and forgiveness comparing to the tec 295 ?

This racket does wonders the most to volleys. Anybody else notice this as well?

Click to expand...

Not especially. While I like the stability and accuracy on volleys, I find the racquet to be a bit too muted to be "wonderful."

Best volleying racquet I've used was clearly the K-Factor 90. I haven't used the PS85, but I assume that might be even better.

I think the main feature of the Yonex 89 is that it's a terrific all-around frame. It really has no weaknesses. It serves bombs, is stable off of both wings during groundstrokes, and is very solid on volleys and overheads. Good control, good spin, and good comfort for the arm. It swings easy and has just enough mass behind it to be effective at higher levels.

Not especially. While I like the stability and accuracy on volleys, I find the racquet to be a bit too muted to be "wonderful."

Best volleying racquet I've used was clearly the K-Factor 90. I haven't used the PS85, but I assume that might be even better.

I think the main feature of the Yonex 89 is that it's a terrific all-around frame. It really has no weaknesses. It serves bombs, is stable off of both wings during groundstrokes, and is very solid on volleys and overheads. Good control, good spin, and good comfort for the arm. It swings easy and has just enough mass behind it to be effective at higher levels.

Overall, it's a winner.

Click to expand...

I hear you. Considering how sh!ts my volleys were, it's a LOT better with this stick.

This is the greatest racquet I have ever played with. I was in the Prestige mid club for 6 years, then I demoed this puppy and it was game over. The Prestige was demanding, but very rewarding. The 89T is just rewarding and I never feel like I could use "a bit more racquet".

If you play, or pretend to play, like the Fed... All around, 1HBH, classic strokes, flat shots and a bit of modern spin too...this racquet is a must try.

Also, I've tried other Yonex mids and never cared for them. After a few weeks with the 89T, I'm totally bought into Yonee now. Well at least this racquet.